The Armour Archive

I was looking at late 14th century harness, and noticed what appears to be a single v-shaped tasset style that caught my attention. There's a picture of what I am talking about on a harness at the Azincourt Museum reposted at http://www.whiterosearmoury.co.uk/New%2 ... ncourt.JPG and another pic of a less fancy repro at http://www.whiterosearmoury.co.uk/New%2 ... %20058.jpg. I see a similar shaped tasset on a silver alter piece c. 1376 reproduced in Edge and Paddock's Arms and Armour of the Medieval Knight, p. 75.

Does anyone have experience fighting with this style of tasset (or whatever this is called)? How far down is it articulated and how does it work? What are the cons?

Thanks!

Jess

That feature would be more properly called a fauld rather than a tasset.
The iconography I'm familiar with, including the Pistoia altepiece you've referred to, suggest a series of overlapping lames, most likely attached to a backing of leather or textile. Essentially a coat-of-plates construction but with the plates on the outside. The single image showing such a fauld from the back that I've seen has a strap coming off the fauld a little above the hips. I would expect it to be articulated all the way down and to cover from the natural waist down to past the crotch. In my opinion this reproduction tapers to high up in comparison to the Pistoia and other examples. I believe it should begin to taper at @ the points of the hips which would allow it to cover the whole front and sides of the abdomen.

I haven't fought in such an arrangement personally but if properly constructed it should not prove to be an impediment.

Basically it´s an apron of lames.

An apron for protecting the crotch seems to have been popular until about 1420. There are several depictions and sculptures having a breastplate sans backplate (globose and kastenbrust ones), but equipped with aprons of scales, lames or even maille.

Regards

Ivo